Digital playback devices and/or systems such as, for example, a DVR (Digital Video Recorder), have become increasingly popular with consumers. A DVR can be utilized to record video in a digital format to a disk drive or a storage medium. The term “DVR” also includes components such as stand-alone set-top boxes and software for personal computers, which enable video capture and play back to and from a disk or other data storage device. A DVR provides several enhancements to similar devices, such as a VCR (Video Cassette Recorder), which includes convenient “time shifting”. Time shifting involves recording programming to a storage medium to be viewed or listened to at a time that is more convenient to the consumer. Additionally, a DVR enables “trick modes” such as pausing live TV, instant replay of interesting scenes, chasing playback and skipping of advertising. Most DVR devices utilize the MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group) format for encoding analog video signals.
The majority of DVR systems can be accessed by multiple users in a shared user environment (e.g., family members). The recorded programs or files on the DVR must be eventually deleted to make room for new programming. Unfortunately, such deletion in a shared user environment sometimes leads to a recording desired to be retained by one user deleted by another user of the same DVR system. Further, discussion and agreement between users is typically required in order to determine which recordings can be deleted and which recordings should be retained. Current DVR systems typically delete a recording as soon as a user selects the recording for deletion. However, if a user chooses to delete a program recorded by another user, that user will not realize that the recording has been deleted until searching for it through the DVR menu system and will be unable to locate that specific recording. The user also has no recourse to prevent such deletion. Furthermore, it is common for the DVR to automatically remove recordings when space is required for new recordings. Unless a DVR user has explicitly requested a recording to be retained, recordings of interest to the user are often deleted (i.e., contrary to the user's desires).
Prior art systems typically require configuring in advance the number of users to complete viewing of a recording before it is scheduled for deletion. Such systems also require the original user to grant access to other users and involve a complicated ratings process to determine which recordings can be deleted. The configuration, access permissions, and deletion scheduling associated with such prior art systems are complicated; hence, such systems may not be easily implemented in the context of a home DVR environment. Also, such systems may allow situations where the DVR is constantly running low on disk space as users are preventing recordings from being deleted. The deletion events can be displayed in a GUI interface of the DVR. Such systems, however, can be restricted to the on-screen display and users which are not viewing the on-screen display may miss such events.
Based on the foregoing, it is believed that a need exists for an improved system and/or method for early notification of a pending DVR deletion event with respect to the DVR. A need also exists for a method for providing easy deletion and informing users in disparate locations of such actions as described in greater detail herein.